Top-feed-roll holder for cotton-combers.



F. L. CROCKETT. TOP FEED ROLL HOLDER FOR COTTON COMBERS. APPLICATIONFILED MAY 29. 1917.

1,292,717. Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

pnrrnn s'ra'rns PATENT carton.

FRANK L. CROCKETT, OF NORTH UXBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WHITINMACHINE WORKS, 0F WHITINSVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA-CHUSETTS.

TOP-FEED-ROLL HOLDER FOR COTTON-COMBERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

Application filed May 29, 1917. Serial No. 171,633.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. CROCKETT, a citizen of the United States,residing at North Uxbridge, in the county of WVorcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented the followingdescribed Improvements inTop-Feed-Roll Holders for Cotton- Combers.

The invention concerns the holder and pressure means of the lapfeed-rolls ofcotton combers, its object being to facilitate the liftingor removal and replacement of the top feed roll which is otherwiseextremely awkward of removal because of the pressure to which it issubjected and of its proximity to other arms and parts 111 the combinghead. According to the present invention the lifting of the top toll isaccomplished with a minimum of inconvenience and entirely from the frontof the comber.

The prinicple of the invention is illustrated herein, referring to oneof the forms of the invention which is at present preferred.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side view of one of the top roll holder arms and itspressure means, the same being a view in section through part of thecomber head of a standard type comber.

Fig. 2 is a top plan of the same mechanism, showing its relation to theimmediately adjacent mechanism and illustrating the proximity of theholder arm to the adjacent parts.

Fig. 3 is a view following Fig. 1, but indicating the holder arm in apartially collapsed condition; and

Fig. 4 is an end view tail.

In these drawings the upper and lower lap feed-rolls 1 and 2 will berecognized by their location directly in rear of the nipper jaws 3, andit will be understood that in the type of machine taken forillustration, the lower feed-roll 2 is a continuous shaft common to allthe heads of the comber and driven from one end thereof, while the upperfeed roll is individual to each head and held in place on the lowerroll, so that rotation of the latter will feed the cotton lap throughthe nipper jaws 3 and toward the comb cylinder indicated at 4. The toproll is removably held in its said position on the of the arm in delowerroll by a pair of holder arms, one at each side of the combing head, 2'.6., at each end of the top feed roll, and pivotally mounted on an upperpart of the machine frame. Only one of such arms is shown in thedrawings, but they are both' alike, and except for the provision of theknuckle joint, need not be different in location, size or shape, fromthe top feed-roll arms heretofore in common use. Each arm is composed oftwo arm members 5 and 6, knuckle-jointed to each other at about themiddle of the arm. One member, 5, is formed with a downwardly openingnotch 7 at its forward end for engaging the gudgcon of the feedroll 1,and the other member 6, is mounted on a pivot screw 8, carried by a capblock 9. This block is gibbed to the bearing block 10 on theintermediate frame upright 11, and is. provided with an oblong slot 12,through which it is bolted to the said block and by means of which theholder arm can be adjusted backward and forward according to theposition desired for the top feedroll 1.

In the normal or extended position of the holder arm illustrated inthese drawings, it

acts exactly like the common feed roll arm,

being subject to the pressure of a powerful sprlng 13, hooked to thestud 14 on the arm member 5, the lower end of the spring being fastenedto the spring bracket 15 by an adjustable connection.

In the type of comb illustrated, as well as in other types, thefeed-roll arm is of necessity closely related to the top comb arm 16,(Fig. 2), and the nipper knife arm 17, being in fact located betweenthese arms and under the ofi"set 18 of the top comb arm. In thisposition the common unjointed top-roll arm is extremely difficult tograsp and raise when it is desired to remove the feed-roll, and suchremoval is generally accomplished by going around to the rear of themachine and detaching the spring 13, and then returning to the front ofthe machine to swing the holder arms upwardly and remove the roll. Forthis purpose the top comb arm must be displaced to give access, and theoperation is, in any event, not readily performed. According to thepresent invention and by virtue of the hinged or collapsible nature ofthe holder arm 5-6, it can be disengaged from the top feed roll, ifdesired, without releasing the spring and merely by breaking the knucklejoint so as todraw the gudgeon notch 7 rearwardly, whereupon thetop-roll will drop free. It is preferable, however, in point ofconvenience, to: release the spring pressure before collapsing the arm,and for this purpose my invention also includes the formation offinger-pulls 19 at the upper ends of the springs 13, so that theoperator may unhook the springs from the front of the machine. With thepressure thus removed, the arms may be collapsed in a generally rearwarddirection, which releases the top roll independently of the position ofthe other parts.

It will be understood that the pro-vision of the knuckle joint in theholder arm, is merely as a preferred means of rendering the arm membersrelatively movable, so as to adapt the roll-engaging member 5 to bedisplaced or collapsed in a rearward direction and that other equivalentmeans to this end are contemplated by the appended claims. It willlikewise be apparent that while the finger pulls on the springs have aspecial cooperation with the collapsible holder arms of the presentinvention, they are also independently useful with non-collapsiblearms,and provide a very great convenience to the operator, being quicklyremoved and as easily replaced. The fingerpulls extend forwardly andupwardly at one side of the forward end of the top comb arms 16.

I claim:

1. Means for supporting the lap feed rolls of cotton combers, comprisinga pair of arms formed for engagement with the ends of the lap feed rolland composed of connected, relatively movable members, each arm form ingin efi'ect a single lever having a bearing at one end upon a fixed partof the comber, the roll engaging members thereof being displaceable inthe direction of the length of said arms to remove the roll,and meansfor exerting pressure on said arms for transmission thereby to the feedroll.

2. Means for supporting the lap feed rolls of cotton combers, comprisinga pair of arms, each composed of connected, relatively movable membersadapted to function as a single lever arm, one member having a bearingon a relatively fixed part of the comber, and another having pressingengagement with the end of the feed roll, and a pressure means connectedto one of said members to impart pressure to the feed roll.

3. Means for supporting the lap feed rolls of cotton combers, comprisinga pair of arms, each disposed between the vertical planes of the topcomb and nipper knife arms having a terminal portion connected to apressure means and engaging the ends of the lap feed roll, and means forsupporting said arm on a relatively fixed part of the comber, wherebythe said terminal portion may be displaced rearwardly to remove the feedroll.

4. Means for supporting the lap feed rolls of cotton combers, comprisinga pair of-top feed roll arms, each knuckle-jointed near its middle, andmeans for applying pressure to said arms.

5. I11 a cotton comber the combination with the top comb and nipperknife arms, of a top feed-roll arm associated therewith, a springexerting pressure thereon and a finger pull on the spring extendingupwardly beyond its bearing upon said arm and adapting said spring to bedisengaged from the top-roll arm from the front of the comber.

6. In a comber the combination of top comb and nipper knife arm with atop feedroll holder located intermediate thereof and having a portionengaging the feed roll and exerting pressure thereon, which said portionis movably mounted so that it can be displaced rearwardly to remove itfrom its feed-roll.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

FRANK L. CROCKETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

